konichi-wa, shiki
Welcome to the newest member of the bike family! Big milestone today. First time I’ve ever owned more than one bike. First time I’ve had twice as many bike-related keys on my keyring as anything else (mountain bike, road bike, Willow Creek locker, work locker).
Lest you think I’m some random flashy a-hole with more money than tact (eh, what do I care? this is the Internet!), let me tell you that I spent less on this ride than most road bikers do on a single wheel. I got ‘er at the Community Cycling Center, which, as we’ve discussed before, sells refurbed bikes for cheap—and the money goes to outfit needy kids and commuters with bicycles.
Not that ‘Shiki isn’t beautiful. She’s just not a gold-digger, that’s all. She’s a gorgeous deep blue Nishiki road bike with a 62cm frame and components I’ve never heard of (that could be good, or it could be really bad—time will tell). She rides like a spaceship. Going up hills with her is like walking upstairs.
What better way to get to know her than to take her on a quick jog through the neighborhood?
Start off by cruising west down Baseline Road’s brand-spankin’-new bike lanes, and hop on the sidewalk at the last second as the lane gives way to construction. North on 231st past the shiny new subdivisions going in south of Orenco Station. East on Cornell, and take a quick detour to the A&W for a root beer float (it’s actually a combined A&W / chicken f*cker, but what are ya gonna do?).
Hop back on Cornell to the outdoor yuppieville they call the “Streets of Tanasbourne.” Much like downtown Addison, TX, or the aforementioned Orenco Station, the Streets are an artificial new commercial center designed to recapture the pedestrian-friendliness and attractiveness of old-timey town squares. And God help me, they’ve made it work somehow. I don’t care that it’s got a world-domination coffee chain store and a “Chinese bistro” alongside some spendy clothing stores. The narrow alleys seem vaguely faux-European, and they have the effect of favoring pedestrian traffic over cars (relax, fossil burners: they’re not out to get you; they just want you to stash your wheels behind the REI and take care of your errands on foot).
So stop in the espresso shop (no, not the coffee empire franchise: the other espresso shop), gawk at the miniature Sistine Chapel ceiling, and drink in the entertainingly overdone interior while you wait for your caffeine to cool.
Take Cornell back west, detour south down the Rock Creek Trail to Orchard Park, and slither down 205th until you’ve hit the starting point.
Shiki’s name, aside from being a contraction of the company that built her, just so happens to mean “Four Seasons” in Japanese. Clearly, she loves the springtime. Let’s see how she does in the other three.